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LiveGreen: Fall lawn and garden care

John Fech of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Office and “Backyard Farmer” fame presented tips on winterizing your lawn and garden at the LiveGreen Lunch & Learn on Oct. 24.

Tips encompassed everything from tender bulbs to thin-barked trees, from amaryllis to voles.

If you have every wondered what you should do to prepare your lawn for winter, how to protect newly planted trees, when to cut back roses, what plants should be split in the fall, and the best time to patch with sod, Fech’s presentation is for you!

Fech also can help you keep your house plants thriving, recommend plants for Nebraska’s climate, tell you what plants can be invasive, and tell you what won’t help (and what might!) get rid of moles in your yard.

John Fech’s fall calendar.

His calendar for outdoor projects centered around holidays to help you remember when to take care of specific items, i.e. fertilize the cool-season grass lawn around Arbor Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Halloween, and he provided data on brand new research from UNL about fertilizer application.

Did you know that if you fertilize on Halloween instead of mid-November (Veteran’s Day), you can use half the nitrogen fertilizer (as opposed to the double dose recommended on Veteran’s Day) and still count on more of it soaking in to feed your lawn’s roots? That saves you time and money and protects our local streams and lakes from runoff contamination.

If you missed Fech’s presentation or need to watch it again so you can catch all of his tips, you can view the presentation in its entirety here.

You will need Quick Time on your computer — download it here.

If you have issues viewing it, please contact the ITS helpdesk at 559-7700.